Tell a data story. Visualize a better world.

In collaboration with the World Bank,
the United Nations Foundation, and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Data, Google Cloud is hosting a data storytelling contest called Visualize 2030.

The 2030 Agenda

From ending poverty to preserving biodiversity, The 2030 Agenda is made up of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that define a plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity. These goals seek to meaningfully transform three critical areas: ending poverty, helping society, and preserving the environment.

The challenge

To tell a data-driven story that reveals how at least two
SDGs influence each other and what actions might be taken in order to reach those
goals by 2030.

The reward

The top five eligible submissions will receive:

$10,000 (USD) cash prize

Announcement during the World Economic Forum at Davos

Publication by Google Cloud

The toolbox

Data

Contestants had to use data from at least one of the newly
available BigQuery public datasets provided by the UN Statistics Division and the
World Bank.

Visualization

Contestants used
Google Data Studio — a free service for analysis, visualization, and
reporting — to visualize the data and create their data story.

Meet the judges

Experts in multimedia storytelling, data analytics,
sustainable development and journalism, the judges will be using their knowledge,
along with the assessment criteria,
to select the five contest winners.

Stay tuned

The contest closed on November 16, 2018. This January, five winners will be announced at the World Economic Forum at Davos — a yearly gathering that brings together leaders from around the world to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

See what makes a winning story

Data first

Start with the data. Approach it as a scientist would: observe, hypothesize, and test
your hypothesis against the data. The data should dictate the visualization,
not the other way around.

Narrative arc

Build a narrative framework around your findings. What is the exposition?
The rising action? The climax? And finally, propose a solution that may
help achieve two or more of the SDGs by 2030.

Interactivity

Invite audiences to engage with your data story and ask their own questions of
the data. This adds a sense of discovery to the interrelated threads and findings.

FAQs

The Visualize 2030 contest is for college and graduate students aged 18 or
older (or the majority age in your country of permanent residence).

Do I need to be an actively enrolled student?

To be considered for the contest, you must be an active and enrolled student
with an accredited university or college. As long as you’re actively enrolled
and can prove it, you can participate.

I’ve never used Data Studio before, but want to participate. Where can I learn more?

Data Studio is a free online visual analytics and dashboarding service. You can learn
more about Data Studio by reviewing the
product overview page
and help docs.

Is this contest for U.S. residents and/or students only?

Visualize 2030 is a US-based contest, but students from other countries can
participate so long as they live in a country in which Google Data Studio is
available and they meet the full list of eligibility criteria. The
official rules
contain the eligibility criteria in full.

English is not my first language. Can I submit a story in my native language?

The application and data story must be in English. If English is not your first
language, feel free to note that in your application as we will take that into
consideration when assessing your submission.

Can I submit more than one data story?

Applicants are allowed only one submission. Multiple submissions will result in the
applicant being automatically disqualified.

How many winners will be selected and how will the entries be judged?

We will be selecting a total of five winners, each evaluated objectively and
holistically against the judging criteria outlined above.

Is the $10,000 cash prize taxed?

Each winner will receive a gross $10,000 (USD) cash prize. Google will not be
responsible for claiming, paying, or otherwise handling any applicable taxes in your
permanent country of residence. See the
official rules for details.